MultiChoice testing new 'dishless' streaming product

Subscribers could be ditching their DStv decoders and satellite dishes when MultiChoice brings out a standalone streaming service.

It's possible that MultiChoice Group could launch its standalone streaming product next year, according to TechCentral.

The company’s Connected Video CEO Niclas Ekdahl has told TechCentral that a streaming-only offering might be on the cards come March 2020.

The streaming service will only rely on an internet connection and will not require a user to have a satellite dish or decoder.

RELATED: 'DStv doesn’t repeat much. It feels so because Africans watch a lot of TV'

The new product will be different from the current DStv Now streaming service, which is a satellite direct-to-home (DTH) offering linked to one's satellite dish.

The DStv Now streaming service replicates what viewers watch on the decoders, explains TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod.

The "dishless" offering is a big shift for DStv as a content provider as it moves towards video-on-demand, according to McLeod.

It remains to be seen whether the streaming product will be cheaper than the satellite option. In theory, McLeod says it should be.

RELATED: Netflix and other streaming operators to crack down on password-sharing

The new product will be a completely standalone product. You won't need a dish on your roof or a decoder in your lounge.

Duncan McLeod, Editor - TechCentral

There is kind of a streaming service already but you have to be a satellite subscriber to get access to it.

Duncan McLeod, Editor - TechCentral

Listen to the developments explain on Afternoon Drive with John Maytham:

More from Business